Hofstra Welcomes Two New Assistant Coaches to Lacrosse Staff

Smith, in her first season as head coach, adds a pair of coaches to her staff who will complement her knowledge and bring successful experience to the sidelines for the Pride.

"I am thrilled to have Katie Hertsch and Katie Mollot join our staff," said Smith. "Katie Hertsch brings a wealth of knowledge and experience both as a player and as a coach at the collegiate and international level. I am excited to watch her share her experiences with our student-athletes. Katie Hertsch will be a great asset for guiding our current players on the team academically and athletically as she had an unbelievable career here at Hofstra.

"Katie Mollot brings an enormous amount of experience in the coaching field both as a former assistant and head coach. She knows what it takes to win as a player and as a coach to achieve conference championships and berths to the NCAA Tournament. Katie Mollot will be a great role model for our players," continued Smith.

Hertsch comes back to Hofstra after spending a season as an assistant coach at Boston University. While there, she worked primarily with the defense in addition to assisting with recruiting databases, organizing team travel, breaking down film on opponents, developing scouting reports and overseeing film sessions with defensive players. Hertsch has also worked with the Hero's Lacrosse Club in Maryland, along with Top Guns Lacrosse Club on Long Island. Boston University went 11-6 in 2012 and captured the regular season America East title.

One of the top players in the United States, Hertsch was just recently named to the 2012-14 U.S. Women's National Senior Training Team by US Lacrosse. She is joined on that exclusive squad by Smith. Hertsch has now been a member of the US National Team since 2010 and during that time has also worked numerous camps and clinics as part of the national team.

Hertsch is a name that is quite familiar with Hofstra Lacrosse fans as she was a member of the team from 2007-11. One of the top defenders to ever suit up for the Pride, Hertsch finished her spectacular career with 138 ground balls, 70 caused turnovers and 110 draw controls. Those totals rank third all-time in ground balls, fifth in caused turnovers and sixth in draw controls. Hertsch graduated cum laude from Hofstra with a bachelor of science in physical education.

Mollot brings four years of successful coaching experience to the sidelines for the Pride. Mollot spent the last two seasons as the head coach at Farmingdale State College in New York. During her two seasons at the helm she compiled an overall record of 21-10, with a stellar 13-2 record during the 2012 campaign. Mollot oversaw all aspects of the Rams lacrosse program and led the squad to the most wins in program history last season.

Prior to coaching at Farmingdale State, Mollot served as an assistant coach at Colgate University, where she helped guide the Raiders to a 23-13 record over two seasons. In her first season on staff, Colgate went 14-5 and advanced to the NCAA Tournament.

Mollot graduated from Towson University with a degree in exercise science in 2008. She played four years of lacrosse for the Tigers, captaining the squad in her junior and senior seasons. In 2008 she was named to the Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) All-Tournament squad, and during her career she played in 65 games and appeared in two NCAA Tournaments.